Celtic Footprints Fee: $1350Recommended: Elementary level Available: September - June Supplemental Materials/Activities:Study guide available
Question and answer period follows performance
Story Hour and workshop programs available both pre- and post- show

Choreographer Ellen Sinopoli, storyteller and collaborating artist Bairbre McCarthy and ESDC dancers have created a fantastical journey as they weave stories, song and dance to follow the footprints of the Celts from Central Europe to Scotland, Wales & Ireland and then across the Atlantic to Appalachia. See and hear the Legend of the Swans, the Adventures of Jack (beyond the beanstalk), the Fable of Dagda's Magical Harp, the hilarious Yarn Of How Marika Got Her Story and the Tale of Norouas, The Northwest Wind.

photo credit, Timothy Raab

Ireland’s Sunday Tribune describes Bairbre McCarthy as a master storyteller who can weave a great story. As a seanchaí, (storyteller) she continues the oral tradition of the Celts. A native of County Clare and graduate of University College Galway, Bairbre is an author of children’s books and Irish legends. The Irish Prime Minister brought her latest book, “The Keeper of the Crock of Gold” to the White House on St. Patrick’s Day as a gift for President Obama’s daughters. Bairbre’s books on Irish Mythology are published by Mercier Press, Cork, Ireland. Bairbre also teaches Irish language and storytelling. She is NYS certified to teach English, French and gifted student programs.

Marni Gillard taught at Niskayuna Middle School for two decades and, after discovering storytelling, left to teach others about this ancient/new art. Her book Storyteller, Storyteacher traces her journey and the transformation in her classroom thanks to the sharing of tales. The stories on her recording Without a Splash: Diving into Childhood Memories will remind you of how life’s challenges and triumphs guide our futures. Marni coaches a troupe of interfaith teen storytellers (www.childrenatthewell.org),
runs an annual storytelling camp at Pyramid Lake in the Adirondacks (www.pyramidlife.org) and works with listeners and tellers of all ages who want to share the tales they carry within. Find her at www.marnigillard.com.

***When Barbie McCarty is not available for performance or
workshop dates, she has selected storyteller Marnie Gillard to take
her place.